| Customer Reviews: Average Rating:  Rating : - Best for beginners, low muscle strength or after surgery & can't do normal exercises When this was on VHS it was known as the "Freedom Exercise System" but NOT the "Freedom Restoration System" Main Menu has the 7 day/choice programs: Leg, chest, shoulder, back, arm, abs & stretch. It also has previews of his other programs & a text about him (20 yeas or martial arts) Each day is broken down to: SHOW OPEN - Trailer, JB EXPLAINS - JB describing the system (JB announcing this contains, "I specifically designed isometric & iso-tonic postures along w/slow motion training, that is coupled with static contraction techniques... what I call self-resistance training. Each workout has 10 postures that take 15 min each."), HELPFUL HINTS - (on the general guidlines about the workout system) which is the same for all 7 days. All that is 5 min you cn skip on the menu. INSTRUCTION - 5 min - tells you about the 10 postures for each of the days & therefore different. It's helpful to watch the first time. WORKOUT - 15 min - also has a 2 min self-massage before & after. He has you hold for each pose for 8 seconds, release & re-contract 8x for each posture & each side. Same set as his Martial Arts workout which is lime green & red accents w/wood floors. He's alone for instruction, but has 2 women behind him (2 different women for each day) for the workout. He has high energy & enthusiasm which helps since the music is the usual canned/looped beat dance music. ABS Mostly standing crunches. The only ones I liked was turning the elbow in to do the obliques & the reaching to one side stretch. Instead of releasing, I just held it for the whole posture time. I still didn't feel it or feel I even worked my abs at all the next day. ARMS Mostly triceps, then biceps, but has wrist ones which is great. This reminded me more of Callenetics & physical therapy movements & my kinesiology class. He reminds you to contract abs, so I sustained a held not all the way deep horse stance/plie for a large part of the workout to work my legs/abs. I have weak arms, so tried this after the abs & I felt it mostly in my legs & wrist/forearms. I only felt like I did a little toning the next day, no soreness with use. LEGS Mostly all standing & contracting either both legs or one leg at a time. Some leg pointing to other side reminescient of ballet that would work. It was until after a few postures on the chair that he works the outter & inner thighs last using hand resistance on the knees that I saw would be of any benefit. I tried that, but felt it more in my arms since my legs are very strong. STRETCH - 15 min While steated, the usual warm-up or cool-down stretches on most workouts including neck, tricep & torso stereches. Laying down, two yoga knee to side reclinded spinal twists, single knee to chest, another yoga knee to side reclinded spinal twist, both knees to chest, knee to chest but resisted with palms to strengthen the legs. In seated crossed legs, torso fwd bend, butterfly, both straight leg seated fwd bend & ends w/single leg seated fwd bend.
I did abs & arms in one shot & only skimmed the stretching. This is a very boring workout, then again, I detest toning workouts w/dumbells & this is the same, except using your own body resistance. JB helps with an excited teaching & doing this as fast as he can to keep the boredom down, but still boring/easy for me. I own many yoga workouts, so the stretching is child's play to me. This would be good for those who are beginners or low muscle strength, had recent surgary & can't do the usual toning workouts, or those traveling. For toning, I would have felt a yoga or pilates workout MUCH more. Rodney Yee's Yoga Burn I felt soreness w/use for two days on my arms.
There's a trailer on youtube under "FITNESS QUICK AND EASY: Sculpting & Toning System" from GirlInPrintNYC & on his site perfectmartialartsworkout com + See Full Customer Review |  |